Bridle & Bone began as a way to address the natural health and wellness for horses and dogs we see in our practice at Bridle & Bone Wellness. Our bodies, and those of our animals, respond best when we address the root cause of a problem. It wasn’t until the mid- to late-18th century that “modern” medicine as we know it took root. While you may think this is new age it is, in fact, what was used for thousands of years. Read on for my most post Health and Wellness posts for 2017.

Working with horses in the mid-atlantic United States, ticks and Lyme disease are a huge concern. From early spring through early winter, I pluck ticks off horses while grooming or before massage. Many of these horses suffer from Lyme disease at one point or another, and a large amount of our clients have arthritis. How can you prevent ticks and Lyme Disease?

I love that this guest post is so widely read. I found this extremely interesting. A fellow equine massage therapist uses thermal imaging to note areas of tension and decreased circulation before and after massage. Often horse owners are ambivalent or downright disbelieving of the health benefits of massage. As many say, seeing is believing.

This is one of my favorites and it was based on a client of ours, and one of my favorite pitbulls. Our young client loves the dog park. But as a heavily-muscled breed he injured his CCL while at the dog park and has needed not one, but two surgeries (one on each hind leg). To hopefully avoid this happening to others, I wrote this post with the best practices to avoid dog injury at the dog park.

Look no further if you are interested in using essential oils on your horse or dog. This is an overview describing essential oils, hydrosols, the most popular oils for horses and for dogs, and how to apply them.

This is cornerstone content for my website, because at the end of the day I am a certified equine massage therapist. In the US massage therapy is not yet widely recognized as part of an equine wellness program, and often scoffed at my old school horse folk. But the benefits: physical, mental, and emotional are very real. Here is an overview of why every horse needs massage.

Sponsored post. I’ve had the pleasure to work with Treatibles for the last year. An amazing small business with the health of animals at the forefront of their minds. After using the CBD treats with my dog Beau and seeing the benefits, I was curious as to the potential use in horses. To my excitement, Treatibles has released a new high dose of phytocannabinoid-rich (PCR) oil for large animals in mind. Read on to learn more about what PCR oil is and how it can benefit your horse.

Nutrition is extremely important to the health and wellness of your pet. Supplements are a great way to provide essential nutrients to both horses and dogs, especially if you have animals that are at risk for joint problems such as arthritis. Learn why green-lipped mussels may be the super food you need.

An extremely information guest post from my friends and colleagues, Dr. Michelle Morges and Dr. Kendra Pope. Both practice acupuncture on their veterinary cancer patients and here’s what they have to say about it.

While this is a sponsored post, I absolutely love this product. My baby dog Beau is very reactive and timid, but at 80 pounds this can be quite dangerous. Especially because his breed is designed to guard loved ones. And he excels at his job. But he could do with a good dose of doggy Prozac. Is that an option? Not really. I heard of CBD dog treats at a pet blogger’s conference and was eager to try them for myself. So I did. Read on to find out why this is my most popular health & wellness post of 2017.

Thank you for reading Bridle & Bone. My goal is prevention above all things, and these posts give a lot of helpful information that is important for any horse or dog owner.

Great question! We do the entire horse at one time, and it takes anywhere from 45 minutes to a little over an hour depending on the amount of tension and behavior of the horse, antsy and moving vs quiet and dozing.

I love hearing that! Definitely check out my posts on essential oils, and I’ll be posting once a month on a specific oil (hint: tomorrow is lavender!) and how you may best use it for your pets. LMK if you have any questions.

Your posts are so informative. When I was showing horses back in the 80’s, an equine massage therapist made her rounds to the stalls of the hunter/jumper horses. My holistic vet just checked for Lyme disease even though I only saw one tick on Gusto all year…not taking any chances. I do use a natural spray to prevent the ticks and fleas from hanging on. Thanks for all that you do!

Wonderful, I”m so glad you use a natural tick repellent for Gusto and it’s been working well. It’s hard to believe equine massage has been around for so long and still, there is hesitation from many. It’s either hit or miss- someone knows and loves it, or thinks it’s a strange job. LOL.

Round-up posts are such valuable resources. I’d read several of these, but not all. I loved your tips for preventing injury at the dog park. I am so guilty of coming home, getting the pups into the car, and driving to the dog park. I’m better on the weekend with taking a walk first, but I should walk them around the fields and paths before we enter the dog park. I’d also be delaying gratification, so it would be a good training exercise.

You should! I have three main types of posts and searched through my Google Analytics to see what was most popular in each section. It’s a great way to put all the most popular together for not only my readers but Google as well.

I’ve been a proponent of alternatives such as acupuncture for years. It’s refreshing to see it recommended for animals. The same goes for massage and other “non-traditional” approaches to health and well-being. Keep spreading the word!

I love all of these!! Currently I have three opened up on my browser to go read right now! They are Prevent Ticks and Lyme Disease, The Best Holistic Therapies For Your Dog’s Arthritis, and What Can I Give My Dog To Reduce Anxiety! All of these are great for my pets and needs right now! Thank you so much for this awesome re-cap!

About the writer

Heather Wallace

Bridle & Bone

Hi, I'm Heather. I am a certified equine and canine sports massage therapist, co-owner of Bridle & Bone Wellness LLC, and the writer of Bridle & Bone. If that isn't enough, I am an adult amateur equestrian in unrequited loved with an OTTB and have two rescue dogs, Gonzo and Beau.Read more...